This invention relates to the cleaning of debris from a gutter on a building, and more particularly to a gutter having a permanent flexible insert disposed therein and which selectively may be forced outwardly from the gutter channel to dislodge debris which has accumulated thereon.
On buildings having pitched roofs, such as most residential buildings, a gutter in the form of a trough conventionally is mounted at the lower edge of the roof or eaves to catch rain water and water from melted snow, the gutter acting to channel the water to downspouts which direct the water away from the foundation of the building. Over a period of time natural debris, such as fallen leaves, broken tree branches and bird feathers, and synthetic debris, such as roof beads of synthetic roof shingles and the like, gradually accumulate and obstruct the gutters and glog the downspouts thereby requiring periodic cleaning of the gutters which can be a hazardous chore and may require professional services.
Attempts have been made to minimize the accumulation of the debris within the gutter by placement of mesh or screen protectors superposed over the gutter. Such protectors generally have not been effective since they tend to separate from their attachments, usually beneath the edge of the lowermost roof shingles and the remote longitudinal edge of the gutter. Examples of protectors of this type are illustrated in Hitt U.S. Pat. No. 550,173 and Fry U.S. Pat. No. 2,219,953. Another proposal to prevent accumulation or such debris is illustrated in Schmitz U.S. Pat. No. 2,533,402 wherein a tubular screen conduit is placed in the gutter. The prior art abounds with other examples of protective devices such as illustrated in Hileman U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,174 and the art cited therein.
Additionally, gutter washing and mechanical gutter manipulating or agitating means have been proposed in the prior art. For example, in Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,073 a conduit disposed within or adjacent the gutter communicates with hot water supply means, the conduit having a multiplicity of apertures for spraying the water into the gutter in an attempt to wash out the debris. Since the debris is washed to the downspouts, the downspouts must be enlarged to prevent clogging thereof, and a debris catching basket is mounted therein to remove the debris. In Ward U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,061,151 and 4,116,008 and in Faye U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,449 gutters are disclosed which are constructed so that the gutter or portions thereof may be inverted by rotation about a pivot. Such proposals require specially constructed gutters and/or complicated gutter mounting structures which result in substantially increased costs of the gutters and do not appear to have found acceptance.